Expert opinion please - which diamond!

[kay1]

Hi

So currently, i've picked this diamond, because rankly it's a lot of carat for the price, and has GIA triple Ex rating.

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-h-color-if-clarity_LD04053403
($15k)

That said it has a very low HCA tool score (5.0). Being from bluenile they don't provide idealscope images so I have no idea what it will actually look like till it arrives. I could of course check it out and send it back to have the diamond changed, but that's a lot of hassle i'd rather avoid if possible.

I've now seen diamonds such as this:

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-signature-ideal-cut-h-color-if-clarity_LD04034214
(about $20k)

They provide the GCAL certificate which does show the light return. What's your opinions, should i:

A) Wait for the HCA 5.0 diamond to arrive and see if i'm happy with it, return it if not.
B) Switch to the signature ideal diamond above (or similar)
C) Some other option.

Oh, and I know I could get bigger for cheaper but i want an IF or FL for sentimental reasons. I'm flexible on the colour, but H is a good solid medium I think, going higher drastically increases the price, and I think H is 'eye - white' from what i read?

The original ring is due to ship on wednesday, so I have a day or so to decide, after which they will probably have set it already. I'm looking for the 1.5+ mark in diamond, and I just noticed that 1.5 to 1.7 seem similar prices - price seems to depend on the particular diamond you find rather than the carat size in that range (on BN anyway).

Oh and i'm UK based, and want their Monique Lhullier Pave Petal setting, so ideally don't want to switch to another supplier unless there's a drastic difference and I can find another nice setting (Micropave is another option).

I keep looking at these sites every day stressing over if i've made the right decision (on the ring not to get engaged )

HELP!

 

[JulieN]

The first one is out of the question.

 

[kay1]

The first one is out of the question.

Do you think it will really be terrible?

The other one does push my budget, but I'm thinking having spent this much it's stupid to end up with something that's isn't amazing, and perhaps I should stretch to the signature ideal.

With regards to te second one, if you look at the gcal cert, does it look good? Every 'excellent' image I seen looks the same to me!

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it

 

[krisjon]

That second stone has nice numbers/proportions and is worth considering. The crown angle is on the steeper side, but the pavilion offsets it well. It also appears to fall within AGS ideal specs, which is a good place to be. Many GIA Ex's don't.

 

[kay1]

That second stone has nice numbers/proportions and is worth considering. The crown angle is on the steeper side, but the pavilion offsets it well. It also appears to fall within AGS ideal specs, which is a good place to be. Many GIA Ex's don't.

Thanks for replying

Yeah the second one is one if their signature ideal diamonds. Did you see the gcal report with the ideal scope images? Do they look good?

You guys are selling on switching the stone

 

[JulieN]

If it stretches your budget the obvious solution is to drop the clarity. Do not compromise something you can see for something you can't see.

 

[hawk25]

If it stretches your budget the obvious solution is to drop the clarity. Do not compromise something you can see for something you can't see.

+1

I know you want an IF stone for sentimental reasons, and I understand that since I had the same sentiment when I first started diamond shopping. I just thought I'd mention that GIA grades diamonds with 10x magnification only, so it's certainly possible that if they used a higher magnification, there could be inclusions. It's impossible to guarantee a truly flawless stone using any magnification.

Without an unlimited budget, there are always compromises that will have to be made if you want a certain characteristic.

 

[kay1]

Thanks for your replies.

So from your replies i see that the HCAtool rating of 5.0 on the first diamond really means it won't look all that great. I'm probably better off dropping on clarity, or carat size rather than going for that one.

Going forward then I've had a scan on their site and I see these options:

1.51 / H / VVS2 - $16,052 (£9,630)
[7.36 x 7.32 x 4.53 mm]
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-signature-ideal-cut-h-color-vvs2-clarity_LD03126476
GCAL CERT with light analysis:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-cert-viewer?cert_pid=LD03126476&cert_num=2

1.51 / G / VVS2 - $17,694 (£10,615)
[7.37 x 7.34 x 4.53 mm]
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-signature-ideal-cut-g-color-vvs2-clarity_LD02976862
GCAL CERT with light analysis:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-cert-viewer?cert_pid=LD02976862&cert_num=2

1.70 / H / IF - $19,658 (£11,831)
[7.64 x 7.68 x 4.73 mm]
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-signature-ideal-cut-h-color-if-clarity_LD04034214
GCAL CERT with light analysis:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-cert-viewer?cert_pid=LD04034214&cert_num=2

There are other varying diamonds in between that are a few hundred dollars difference, but as an example of options:

1) First stone, same price as the original, i'd drop IF -> VVS2 and 1.71 -> 1.51
2) Second stone, $2.5k more, i'd drop IF -> VVS2, 1.71 -> 1.51 BUT gain in colour from H -> G
3) Third stone, pay about $4.5k more, same specs as the original, but a much better cut/light return.

What would you do? From a value perspective and seperatly from the perspective that $16k is my comfortable budget, and if it's worth pushing.

Thanks again for your advice

 

[kay1]

Still not sure what to do :/ I probably have another day or two before they'll start preparing it for shipping.

What do you guys think?

 

[krisjon]

The pavilion angles on both of those 1.5s are a little steep and not truly ideal proportions, even though BN has them listed as Sig Ideal. Both stones have HCAs well over 3, which would disqualify them for me if I were buying. On PS, we'll never simply steer to just the most expensive diamonds, but we will help you find the best cut ones - which makes all the difference. In this case, both selections at the higher end of your budget also happen to have the best proportions and are worthy of consideration. The other option is to sort through BN's inventory and look for the following proportions under the advanced search options using Todd Gray's helpful tips:

http://www.niceice.com/diamond-buying-secrets/15-seconds-diamond-buying-success/
http://niceice.com/how-to-search-for-diamonds-at-blue-nile/
http://niceice.com/blue-nile-signature-ideal-diamond-vs-blue-nile-ideal-cut-diamonds/

 

[kay1]

Thanks Krisjon,

That's been really really helpful. I've had another search and I now have 19 potential candidates that are IF or FL, and 86 VVS2 and up. I'll go through them and see what looks good.

 

[krisjon]

Happy to help! Todd's articles are great (he's a highly regarded PS member here) and I thought those on Blue Nile would be especially useful in your situation. When you feel like you've narrowed it down to a few you really like, post them here and we'll find you the best one.

 

[Andelain]

Are you set on BN, of would you like a really well cut stone from someone like WF or BGD?

 

[RockyRacoon]

Check out these options.

These stones are cut as well as stones can be cut. You don't need to use HCA or guess about performance, like you do with the Blue Nile stones. These are top-notch cuts and you will notice a difference.

Here are two under budget:

1.563ct, F, VS2
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.563-f-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104067973009

1.52ct, H, VS2
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11602/

 

[krisjon]

Check out these options.

These stones are cut as well as stones can be cut. You don't need to use HCA or guess about performance, like you do with the Blue Nile stones. These are top-notch cuts and you will notice a difference.

Here are two under budget:

1.563ct, F, VS2
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.563-f-vs2-round-diamond-ags-bl-104067973009

1.52ct, H, VS2
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11602/

Great choices as always, Rocky, but the OP is in England and already has an order going with BN and had selected a stone that wasn't great.
Also looking for extremely high clarity for personal reasons, so VVS2 minimum, but prefers IF.

Kay - here's a nice 1.57 H, IF that's right on your budget and has good numbers/.9 HCA/within AGS 0 specs:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?pt=findsimilar#diamonds_pid=LD03638825
It's a much, much safer choice than what you had before, is truly ideal cut and should be beautiful! You wouldn't be sacrificing any of the things you were looking for, either.

 

[kay1]

Thanks!

That's been super helpful. I'm checking all the stats and may actually go for the one you posted krisjon - it's almost exactly the same price as the original

Andelain, RockyRacoon, I do have an existing order with BN, but it's due to ship on wednesday. I could cancel it before then if i found something significantly better. My main reason for sticking with BN is that they drop ship through a UK office so there's no customs to deal with which makes returns easier. Also i really like this particular setting:

http://www.bluenile.com/monique-pave-petal-engagement-ring-in-platinum_35361

Having said that, ever since i ordered it i've been second guessing myself if i should go for something more delicate like a micropave instead. So if i could find a nice setting from another supplier which also had a better diamond i'd certainly consider it

 

[krisjon]

Thanks!

That's been super helpful. I'm checking all the stats and may actually go for the one you posted krisjon - it's almost exactly the same price as the original

Andelain, RockyRacoon, I do have an existing order with BN, but it's due to ship on wednesday. I could cancel it before then if i found something significantly better. My main reason for sticking with BN is that they drop ship through a UK office so there's no customs to deal with which makes returns easier. Also i really like this particular setting:

http://www.bluenile.com/monique-pave-petal-engagement-ring-in-platinum_35361

Having said that, ever since i ordered it i've been second guessing myself if i should go for something more delicate like a micropave instead. So if i could find a nice setting from another supplier which also had a better diamond i'd certainly consider it

Happy to help! That 1.57 should be really nice and I like I said, it ticks all the marks you were looking for- and is right on budget. I would have BN put it on hold right away.

Typically, we always advise getting as much info/IdealScope/ASET images as possible before purchase, but BN doesn't really provide those, so you have less to go on. That particular stone is a pretty safe bet, though. BN has a great return policy and should be able to easily acquire that stone from inventory and swap it out quickly.

If you had more time, we could search some other vendors and try to find a similar setting/stone elsewhere, but I'm not sure how much flexibility/time you have. Let us know!

 

[kay1]

Hi!

I'm planning to wisk her away over easter and propose then, so I have a fair bit of time yet. Although my budget is around $20-$23k (with band and everything), I do have access to cash to buy a second diamond while i return the first. I can also cancel the BN ring before it ships on wednesday.

So there's 3/4 days before I would need to cancel. and over a month before i actually need the ring itself I do really want to make sure I get this right, because i know in the end the effort spent will really be worth it (not just financially)

 

[krisjon]

I'll let some others search as well, but honestly, I'm not finding anything comparable to what we already have (1.5-1.7, H, IF-VVS2, Ideal/3EX, $16-20K) with some of the better online vendors. There's just not a lot of inventory. At the minimum, I would reserve that stone we talked about on BN, while we see what else might turn up.

 

[kay1]

Hi again!

So after much deliberation I decided to just wait for the original diamond to arrive, I have time to return and have a different one set.

If I'm reading what I see right there's some light leakage to the bottom right of the table where I can't get the 'arrow' stem to reflect back no matter what I do. Is that right or am I reading this all wrong?

These pictures are taken with my iphone (sorry for digital zoom it was the only way I could get it to focus corectly), holding the wrong on a table standing under the lightbulb in my room.

What do you think?

I've also added a couple of pictures of the setting - what do you think?

It's plenty bilingy, except the table under dim light, I'm not sure if that's normal for a diamond tho

 

[krisjon]

For the same price, this diamond I recommended before is much, much better:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD03638825?click_id=565619204

PUT IT ON HOLD NOW to exchange.


This decision is as easy as it gets. Get the best cut for your money and don't compromise - especially when it's not costing you more to do so!

The stone you have is poorly cut and is indeed leaking. Mostly likely due to the steep pavilion angle of 41.4. The stone I recommended is 40.6. That's a huge difference and one you'll see.

 

[krisjon]

To add:

The diamond I suggested is slightly smaller (1.57 vs. 1.71), but the difference will be minimal when you see how much better and brighter that stone faces up in comparison. Other than that, the color/clarity is identical.

That 1.71 pictured has a what some call the "ring of death." It's than darker ring you see that surrounds the table and is where the light is leaking. Not surprising with a such a steep pavillion angle and a 5.0 HCA (which is a really terrible score).

In comparison, the stone I recommended falls into AGS 0 ideal cut specs, is also GIA 3EX and has .9 HCA. Huge difference. It won't have that dark table and I'd be willing to bet it will also have far superior optical symmetry with cleaner/more well-formed arrows.

I don't want you to feel bad about your initial purchase, but the thing to do now is make a BETTER ONE.

 

[kay1]

Thanks for the feedback

I'm inclined to up my spend to about $20k if necessary and go for the best cut/hca I can get. I'm also considering dropping from IF if necessary to make sure I get a great stone.

So aside from the stone itself, what do you guys think of the setting? It's hard to demonstrate in pictures because the diamonds on the leaf don't show well in pictures. I know she also loves micropave style rings, so I'm wondering if i should just return this and consider other places (even if US based) when i can get a scope image etc and be sure from the outset.

 

[krisjon]

Keep in mind that there is no "best" HCA score. It's anything <2.
The other stone I suggested should be great and was a pretty safe bet, but you're right on in wanting more conclusive proof beforehand like Idealscopes. ASETs, etc. These are the pitfalls of BlueNile, where you have very little to go on.

If you drop in clarity, you'll be able to come up in size. However, I'd stay in the G-H range for color. And let's see if we can find you an AGS 0 cut, which removes any doubt in terms of quality.

Strictly my opinion, but while I like the top-down view of the setting, I'm not big on the pedal/leaf baskets now that I see them. It's a little overdone/dated looking on an otherwise nice setting, but again, that's just me.

Sounds like we need to have further conversation and let the membership here help you.

 

[kay1]

Exactly my thoughts on the setting actually. That's the main reason I didn't bother switching diamond as it would have delayed the order. I figured let it arrive and then I'll know if I like the setting too. I

The setting (and the uk/tax handling ability of blue Nile) was my primary reason for going with blue nile in the first place.. If I no longer like the setting and can negate the chances of returning the diamond with an aset/ideal scope I'm actually free to order from anywhere.

So my new requirements after this experience are:

-- minimum h colour
-- eye clean
-- $15k to $20k (before any tax/ duty) but including setting.

If we start with the diamond first I can see if the same place has settings I like

Thanks for your help!

 

[kay1]

Oh and as big a diamond as I can get without compromising cut of course